As with every art, cooking also requires passion, interest and time... Irrespective of doing it as a leisure activity or on a regular basis, it involves dedication. The happiness you derive out of cooking by your self and serving is endless... esp someone appreciating your recipe...how nice it feels, is it not???

You may wonder about the title of this blog..Iyer Iyengar Kitchen...I am a Tanjore Iyer married to an Iyengar and picked up cooking by learning the delicacies of both the customs....and that is what I am sharing here... Recipes popular among the Tamil Iyer & Iyengar communities..

I would be really happy if this benefits atleast few of you....if you find this useful, pass this on to your friends..

Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Pongal (Ven Pongal)

This is a very popular south Indian breakfast type. Makes an excellent combination when served with Ulunthu Vadai and Thaengai chutney (coconut chutney) and sambhar.

In this type of ven pongal, you cook all the ingredients together including whole black pepper.

Preparation Procedure:

1.In a heavy bottomed kadai, light fry the moong dal and rice in sim for 2 to 3 minutes so that the raw smell of the rice and the moong dal is eliminated.

2.Wash the ingredients well in water and filter the rice moong dal.

3.In a pressure cooker vessel, add the rice moong dal and water in the ratio mentioned in the ingredients section.

4.Add salt, jeera, black pepper, ginger tiny pieces, milk, and curry leaves and pressure cook for around 10 to 11 whistles so that it is well mashed.

5.After switching off the pressure cooker, allow it to settle for 15 to 20 minutes.

6.In the mean while, add a tsp of ghee to a kadai and in sim medium roast the cashew nuts to golden brown colour

7.Open the pressure cooker, immediately add 3 tbsps of ghee, a pinch of asaofedita and the roasted cashew nuts and well mash the cooked pongal very nicely. This needs to be done as soon as you open the cooker. Once the pongal cools down, mashing may become difficult and it will not come smoothly.

Hot delicious pongal is ready J

Type II: This is more like Perumal Kovil Ven Pongal

In this type of Ven pongal, we powder and add the pepper, jeera at the end.

Preparation Procedure:

1.In a heavy bottomed kadai, light fry the moong dal and rice in sim for 2 to 3 minutes so that the raw smell of the rice and the moong dal is eliminated.

2.Wash the ingredients well in water and filter the rice moong dal.

3.In a pressure cooker vessel, add the rice moong dal and water in the ratio mentioned in the ingredients section.

4.Add salt, milk, finely chopped ginger pieces and curry leaves.

5.Pressure cook for around 10 whistles.

6.After switching off the pressure cooker, allow it to settle for 15 to 20 minutes.

7.In the mean while, add a tsp of ghee to a kadai and in sim medium roast the cashew nuts to golden brown colour and keep it aside.

8.Powder 20 pepper in a mixie as a coarse powder.

9.In the kadai, add a tsp of ghee, add the powdered pepper and jeera on sim and immediately take it out after a minute.

8.After 15-20 mins, Open the pressure cooker, immediately add 3 tbsps of ghee, a pinch of asaofedita and the roasted cashew nuts and well mash the cooked pongal very nicely. This needs to be done as soon as you open the cooker. Once the pongal cools down, mashing may become difficult and it will not come smoothly.

10.Again add the powdered pepper and jeera and mix with the mashed pongal nicely.